Grey
@handmadebygrey
He/Him/They/Them Trans, queer, parent, quilter, reader, writer, fountain pen and ink collector, maintainer of several journals. Possessor of weird, random knowledge. StoryGraph:
@morganmoreauwrites.bsky.social and I have an apartment in New Orleans! We just signed a lease and sent over the security deposit. We are looking at leaving WI on Friday, 07/30, and making the drive down in one long day on the road. We are still fundraising for the move: gofund.me/17bfffce3
Today’s daily page, pre-journaling. I’m using the same one as a couple of days ago - there’s still a page or two worth of Sapele in the converter, and I’m determined to empty a few pens before I add more inks to the rotation.
Today’s daily page, pre-journaling. I’ll be using a hand-turned Highworth Slim fountain pen by Loft Pens with a 14k gold medium nib from Mr Cypress. Today’s ink is Golden Wish by Robert Oster. This is a deep, honey yellow ink with a lilac shimmer, and wonderful shading.
Today’s daily page, pre-journaling. I’ll be using a hand-turned fountain pen by FireBrand Craftworks (www.etsy.com/shop/FireBra...) with a fine stainless steel nib from FPR. Today’s ink is Sapele by Papier Plume.
@morganmoreauwrites.bsky.social and I are moving to New Orleans, and we need your help! gofund.me/866c6b304
Today’s daily page, pre-journaling. I’ll be using my The Raven IV fountain pen by @retro51.bsky.social, with a medium nib, and inked with Dominant Industry’s Quoth the Raven. The Tornado is a consistent favorite in my pen collection - I own several.
Today’s daily page, before I do the journaling this evening. I’m using my @hardypenwrights.bsky.social Companion fountain pen, loading with Papier Plume’s Calibri which is a lovely, very readable spring green.
With the upcoming move to NOLA, I decided it was time to start a new daily journal. One page per day, with the added limitation that I have to use my stationery hoard and decorate the page. It’s also an excuse to write more each day. We’re still raising funds for the move: gofund.me/0c4822778
I’m so excited, I’m starting a re-read! #💙📚 $187 to being fully funded, and 24 days to go! Yes, I am totally being a hype goblin for @vampireantihero.com 😂 www.backerkit.com/c/projects/a...
21/ Three days ago, I finished listening to Horns by Joe Hills, narrated by Fred Berman. It was thing. Honestly, I could very much have done without the extended diversion into Lee Tourneau's viewpoint. As an AFAB individual, I didn't need the explicit explanation of Lee felt entitled to Marrin.
19/ My next read was Murmuration, by TJ Klune. This was also for the 52 Book Club May Mini-Challenge. The prompt was "I'll Be There For You." Before we'd gotten too far into the book, I'd figured out the twist to the small town life Mike Frazier was living. I was gripped by the choices Mike...
18/ About a week ago, I finished listening to Someone You Can Build a Nest In by @wiswell.bsky.social, narrated by Carmen Rose. There are not enough superlatives to describe this book! Absolutely going on the list as one of my favorite books read this year, perhaps a top favorite PERIOD.
16/ My next read was The Coffee House Witch & the Grumpy Cat, by Arizona Tape writing as Ariana Jade. I read this for the 52 Book Club May Mini-Challenge. The prompt was "A Coffee Shop Scene." There's more novellas in this series... I'm not sure I'm going to keep reading. I'm very much over the...
15/ My second finish for May (37th for the year) was Herc by Phoenicia Rogerson. This was an unexpectedly deep read, given that it was written from multiple POVs.
And here’s my current selection of inked fountain pens, plus a couple of mechanical pencils.
This was Honey sleeping in my lap last night. Since I had a blanket over my legs, I was prime real estate for napping. Of course, once she was settled, I had to tuck her in.
Also stopped by the @4horsemenpubs.bsky.social booth, and bought 3 book blind dates. They ended up being 4 books, all by new-to-me authors: Deal with the Devil by Kit Rocha Empress of Forever by Max Gladstone The Bench by Ty Carlson Between the Devil and the Dark by Brandon Hill & Terence Pegasus
I went to PopCon Indy this past weekend, and stopped by the booths of two independent authors there, and bought their books: The Midwizard of Cosconia by Zack Schoppen Empire of Strings: The Space Between Souls and Empire of Strings: The Bonding of Light by Jeffrey Lee.
9/ Having been disappointed by the last two books, I decided a change of pace was in order and started working on the April 2026 Mini Challenge for The 52 Book Club. Book 32 for 2026 ended up being Happy Medium by Sarah Adler, and it was exactly the palate cleanser I needed.
7/ I then started working on the March 2026 Mini Challenge for The 52 Book Club. First up was Agatha Christie's The Seven Dials Mystery. This was my first Agatha Christie book, and I did not realize that it was Book 2 of the Superintendent Battle series.
5/ Book 30 was No One Gets Out Alive by Adam Nevill. This is probably the most egregious example of a man writing a woman poorly that I've read in the last several years. Before the first few chapters were done, I was internally screaming at Stephanie to GTFO, because her 'landlord' was clearly...
4/ My next finish was Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, as narrated by Dan Stevens. The narration was excellent, and I highly enjoyed the performance. Shelley's writing is beautiful, but I didn't find the book riveting.
2/ Book 28 for 2026 was A Fate of Onyx & Ivory by O'Junea Brown. I wish I could have enjoyed this book, but I found the main character to be entirely unlikeable. I was supposed to believe that she was 24, but she was petulant, petty, dismissive of the emotions of everyone around her...
1/ We've slipped into May, so it's time to catch up posting about my latest reads! In the second half of April, I finished eight more books. This was only because I was on vacation (NOLA trip) and on leave for post-surgery recovery. 📚💙, #the52bookclub, #readingchallenge, #the52bookclub2026
3/ I pulled my card for the day without a question in mind. These daily pulls are for deck-auditioning and learning. Card of the day was number 50 - Catfish. Card write-up is in alt text of photo. #divination #oracledeck #dailycarddraw #tarotcarddeck #tarot
2/ First impressions of The Southern Gothic Oracle: Cards feel very large in hand but are printed on a very nice stock, and aren’t stupidly glossy (big plus!). Card back design is beautiful, and helpfully vertical. The art clearly communicates each card’s meaning w/o having to refer to the text.
1/ New month, new deck, a new journal (pulled from the pandemic panic hoard), and an attempt at building a new habit. Hoping to do daily draws for myself. One card a day, to learn (or re-learn) each deck in my collection. Today, I opened The Southern Gothic Oracle by Stacey Williams-Ng.
5/ The nib on the dip pen is absolutely wonderful, producing some beautiful line variation. The sample isn’t as neat as I usually am, but I’m about 6 hours post surgery at this point. A little wobble is to be expected.